Member for Geraldton, Kirrilee Warr MLA, has spoken about the health crisis in Geraldton to State Parliament, calling for priorities to be put in the correct place.
Speaking on the Opposition’s call to condemn the Labor Government’s mismanagement and under funding of hospitals leading to a health system buckling under pressure, Ms Warr spoke about the situation in the regions, in particular Geraldton.
She said despite the now $188m upgrades to Geraldton Health Campus, there have been no increases to general ward beds.
“We are eight years on from when the hospital upgrades were first announced as an election commitment, and yet we are no closer to increasing the number of general ward beds,” Ms Warr said.
“Without additional beds, the hospital’s day-to-day capacity to admit and treat patients will remain the same, even though demand is growing.
“We are simply moving the same bottleneck further down the line to metropolitan areas.”
In Parliament, Ms Warr discussed the pressure frontline workers are facing, including volunteer ambulance drivers who take time away from their loved ones to provide a much-needed service to the community.
She said the pressure on the system locally was adding to the strain in Perth.
“I’ve heard firsthand from frontline officers on how pressure is mounting, and it has resulted in people being unable to access health services locally,” she said.
“It forces them to travel to Perth, putting their hospitals under greater stress.
“The community, the hospitals, and healthcare workers are all put under pressure, and something needs to change.”
She called for real solutions, like providing assistance to help fund general practitioners in the regions to ease the stress on the hospital system.
“When the regions have GPs, it means they are not rocking up to emergency departments in hospitals for non-urgent cases,” Ms Warr said.
“More investment needs to come to our health system to ensure we get results.
“Instead, the State Government is pushing pet projects in Perth, like the Burswood Racetrack.
“I will continue to ensure Geraldton has a voice and hold this State Government to account for a failing health system.”
